The NFL playoff bracket for 2021 has taken its final form.
NFC East champion Washington Football Team claimed NFC’s No. 4 seed and will host the Buccaneers in the wildcard round. The Chiefs and Packers said goodbye to each conference. Dolphins, cardinals and cowboys had expensive week 17 losses. And the Bills and Rams showed that they can win even without their best players on the field.
As of January 9, the NFL is showing its expanded playoff bracket with 14 teams (up from the usual 12 for the first time this season). Out of these 14, 12 will play in the first round thanks to a necessarily changed bye structure to finish with the same number of playoff rounds. Additional teams means two extra games that put a trio of games both Saturday and Sunday in wild card weekend.
Below is everything you need to know about the NFL playoff bracket in 2021, including a complete post-season schedule, TV channels for all playoff games, and scores / results when they arrive.
MORE: SN predicts the entire 2021 NFL playoffs
NFL playoff fixture 2021
Here’s a look at the complete NFL playoffs for 2021:
AFC
1. Kansas City Chiefs vs. 6. Cleveland Browns
2. Buffalo Bills Vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens
—
1. Kansas City Chiefs (goodbye)
2. Buffalo Bills Vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts
3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 6. Cleveland Browns
4. Tennessee Titans vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens
NFC
1. Green Bay Packers Vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams
2. New Orleans Saints Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
—
1. Green Bay Packers (goodbye)
2. New Orleans Saints Vs. 7. Chicago Bears
3. Seattle Seahawks Vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams
4. Washington Football Team Vs. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
MORE: The NFL’s expanded playoff bracket, explained
NFL playoffs 2021
Below is the full NFL playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.
Wild-card round
Saturday, January 9th
| Results |
| Bills 27, colts 24 |
| Rams 30, Seahawks 20 |
| Buccaneers 31, Washington 23 |
Sunday, January 10th
| Results |
| Ravens 20, Titans 13 |
| Saints 21, Bears 9 |
| Browns 48, Steelers 37 |
Division round
Saturday, January 16th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Aries at Packers | 16:35 ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| Ravens by bills | 20:15 ET | NBC | fuboTV |
Sunday, January 17th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Browns at Chiefs | 15:05 ET | CBS | fuboTV |
| Buccaneers at Saints | 18:40 ET | Fox | fuboTV |
Conference championships
Sunday, January 24th
| Match | Away team | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| NFC Championship | NFC TBD | 15:05 ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| AFC Championship | AFC TBD | 18:40 ET | CBS | fuboTV |
Super Bowl 55
Sunday, February 7th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC champion vs. NFC champion | 18:30 ET | CBS | fuboTV |
TV channels, live streams for NFL playoff games
Beginning with the wildcard round, NFL playoff games appear nationally on NBC, CBS, Fox and ESPN each week. CBS has exclusive broadcast rights to the AFC Championship, while Fox showed the NFC Championship. CBS is home to Super Bowl 55.
In Canada, you can stream live DAZN, which offers a free trial period.
Details of national and local TV coverage for each playoff are included in the tables below.
MORE: Live stream NFL playoff games on fuboTV (7-day free trial)
Wild-card round
Saturday, January 9th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Colts by bills | 13:05 ET | CBS | CBS All Access, fuboTV |
| Aries at the Seahawks | 16:40 ET | Fox | Fox Sports Go, fuboTV |
| Buccaneers in Washington | 20:15 ET | NBC | NBC Sports App, fuboTV |
Sunday, January 10th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Ravens by titans | 13:05 ET | ESPN / ABC | ESPN app, fuboTV |
| Bears at Saints | 16:40 ET | CBS / Nickelodeon / Amazon Prime | CBS All Access, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV |
| Browns at the Steelers | 20:15 ET | NBC | NBC Sports App, fuboTV |
Saturday, January 16th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Aries at Packers | 16:35 ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| Ravens by bills | 20:15 ET | NBC | fuboTV |
Sunday, January 17th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| Browns at Chiefs | 15:05 ET | CBS | fuboTV |
| Buccaneers at Saints | 18:40 ET | Fox | fuboTV |
Conference championships
Sunday, January 24th
| Match | Away team | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| NFC vs. NFC | NFC TBD | 15:05 ET | Fox | fuboTV |
| AFC vs. AFC | AFC TBD | 18:40 ET | CBS | fuboTV |
Super Bowl 55
Sunday, February 7th
| Match | Start time | TV channel | Live stream |
| AFC champion vs. NFC champion | 18:30 ET | CBS | fuboTV |
When will the 2021 NFL Finals end?
- Start date: Saturday 9 January
- End date: Sunday 7 February
The NFL playoffs last about a month, starting with the wildcard round, then the division round and the conference championship, before culminating in the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Tampa, Florida.
As is often the case, there is a week off between the conference title game and the Super Bowl. Normally, the Pro Bowl is played in this hole, although no physical Pro Bowl game will be played in 2021.